Will make. No, not the president ial, senate or congressional races, but more than 150 measures in 35 states, more thahan in any electction ie last decade. They are Ballot Initiatives. Onone closely watched race is colorados citizeninitiated amendment 69, which would finance universal health care , other states are set to vote on marijuana legalization, guns, Public Education, taxes, and the Death Penalty. Then to the Battle Ground state of ohio, w where investigative repoporter greg palast. Today on n election day, they are not going to use white sheets to keep away black voters. Today, they are using amy Media Coverage for who will be president that is, who will win the Electoral College. We will speak with rob richie, director of fairvote, who wants to establish a National Popular vote so all states count. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Today is election day. And across the United States voters are preparing to go to , the polls to cast their president , senator, governor, a attorneys general, anand a slewf other elected ficials. On mononday, both Hillary Clintn and donald trump finished off their final day of campaigning. Trump held rallies in sarasota, florida, north carolina, pennsylvania, New Hampshire. Finally, in grand rapids, michigan, where he raised against the outsourcing of u. S. Factories. Mr. Trump america has lost listen to this. 0,000 factories since china entered the world trade organization, another bill and hillarybacked disaster. We are living through the greatest jobs that in the history of the world. There is never been anything like this. Our jobs are being stolen like candy from a baby. Not going to happen anymore, folks. There are going to be consequences. Amy Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, held two rallies in pennsylvania , a huge rally in philadelphia of about 20,000 people, another in could spark as well as rallies in allendale, michigan, and in raleigh, north carolina, where she drew a contrast between herself and donald trump. Mrs. Clinton it is a choice between division or unity, between strong, steady leadership or a loose cannon who could risk everything. It is a choice between an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. And it is a choice that really goes to the heart of who we are as americans. What i saw before i came in and what i i see now is a sense of potential, of joy. There is no reason, my friends, why americas best days are not are together. We amy that is Hillary Clinton in raleigh, north carolina. As voters head to the polls, clinton has already won a tiny hamlet in New Hampshire dixville n notch, where the votg station openened at midnight and closed a half hour latater when all eight votes s were cast 4 for Hillary Clinton, 2 for donald trurump, 1 for gary johnson, and a writeiin vote r mitt romney. The Democratic Party is also hoping to regain control of the senate today where one third of all senators are up for reelection. Republicans currently hold control of the senate with 54 seats to the democrats 46. Across the country, there are a number of tight senate races, including in New Hampshire, where Maggie Hassan is challenging republican incumbent kelly ayotte. In pennsylvania, were democrat Katie Mcginty is challenging republican incumbent pat toomey. And in wisconsin, were democrat Russ Feingold is challenging republican incumbent ron johnson. It is also possible come although unlikely, democrats could regain control of the republicanled house. There are also a number of progressive candidates running with the support of Bernie Sanders organization our revolution, including teachout, who is running for congressional seat. Another running for north dakotas atlarge congressional district, and one running for washington seventh congressional district. Tune in tonight for a special fivehour election day broadcast starting at 7 00 p. M. Eastern here on democracynow. Org and on many of your stations across the country. In more election news green nominee dr. Idential jill stein has filed a complaint with the federal donald Trump Election Commission in washington, d. C. , against and Hillary Clinton for illegal coordination with their super pacs. The socalled dark money groups are allowed to raise unlimited amounts of funds for candidates, but they are not allowed to coordinate directly with the campaigns. In the complaint, jill stein argues both clinton and trump had illegally coordinator with a handful of their super pacs. Hillary clintons Vice President ial running matee, tim kaine, h hasnt he supportththe possible rerouting of the 3. 8 billion Dakota Access pipeline, which has faced months of resistance from the Standing Rock sioux tribe in north dakota over 200s members of indigenousus tribes acrososs the americas as well as many nonnanative allies. S. Last week,k, president obama s d the army cororps was considering planans to reroute t the pipipe. It has already b been rereroutet least once, a way from m bism, amidstst objection from the airs moststly white residents over te possibility of water contamination. This is senator tim kaine in an interview with fusion. Standing rock protest. Senator sasanders has said it mt be stopped. Do agree or disagree . Serving, the questions that are raised about the route are important. President obama, a month or so back, mightve been sixweeks ago said, we need to do a set of consultations between u. S. Government and the sovereign trouble governments tribal governments about projects like this. Or rececently, he said we ouougo be able find a route that solves some of these questions. Im optimistic about that, too. I know the adminisistration is working veryry hard. Supportive of rerouting it . They have already rerouted it once. It was routed to be true bismarck andnd that roroute was changeged. If it is changed o once, if it s important in project, youre to be able to find a route thaha works. What the obama administrationn s doing by saying, lets look at route alternatives, i think is the right thing to do. A dakota proposal to reroute the dakota pipipeline comess as the billion dollar project spearheadeded by dallasbased Energy Transfer partners is facing increasing pressure from the banks finding its construction will stop on sunday, the norwegian b bank dnb announced it is considering withdrawing its funding amidst concerns about Human Rights Violations against the standingg rock siouxux tribe in nortrth dakota. Dnb,b, which is norwrways s lat bank, is responsiblele for finanancing up to 1010 of pipe. This comes as citigroup told the New York Times it has raised concerns about the project, although it has not yet said whether it will withdraw its funding. Citigroup is playing a major role as both a financer of the project and the loan agent. Lindsey allen of the Rainforest Action Network said citibanks leading role in financing the pipeline makes it complicit in gross violations of indigenous and human rights. S. In iraq, the u. S. Backed iraqi forces and government militias are continuing the campaign to retake the city of mosul from isis. The Iraqi Military says it discovered a mass grave with as many as 100 decapitated bodies during its advance into the town of hamam alalil to the south of mosul. This comes as residents of alqayyarah, a town about 40 miles south of mosul, report being sickened by the poisonous smoke from continuously burning oil well fires. The Iraqi Military says isis militants lit the oil wells on fire in august while retreating from the town. The fires continue to burn three months later. In brazil, the landless workers movement, known as the mst, is facing increasing repression, including the detention of at least can organizers. On november 4, state police raided msts national school, sao paulo, firing live ammunition and detaining two mst members, including a 64yearold librarian whose rib was fractured during the raid. Police also recently raided another mst camp in parana and detained eight organizers. Joaquin pinero of mst says the repression against the movement has worsened under Michel Temers new government, following the impeachment and ouster of elected president dilmlma rousseff. All o of this is happening gn the contexext of persecution. We are struggling againsnst the coup a and for democracy in ourr country. Today, there is a process of repression against mst. Amy in india, the environmental minister has called for an emergency meeting as the capital new delhi is engulfed in thick hazardous smog. Its ththe worst air pollution w delhi has seen in 20 years. This is environmentalist vimlendudu jha. Where polluted ourselves to where the air is completely toxic. It iss beyond measurable limits. It hasas crossed all l limits of humaman imagination, of the imagination but are machines that were e supposed to realllly talk you late how polluted our air is. Amy in yemen, more than half of all of the health is a levys facilities have either closed or are only partially functioning amid the ongoing conflict. The new report by the World Health Organization also found 40 of the surveyed districts in yemen hahad only two dococtors,f not fewer. Dozens of historians are chris the design are criticizing volkswagen for trying to cover up the dark pages of its history in nazi germany, following the announcement volkswagens longtime historian Manfred Grieger was leaving the company. Grieger has led volkswagens efforts to research and reveal the companys actions during world war ii, when volkswagen forced concentration camps prisoners to work in the auto factories. Volkswagen has denied grieger was dismissed. This comes as volkswagen has announced another historian, christopher kopper, has been commissioned to research the companys actions in brazil during the military dictatorship from 1964 to 1985, following a lawsuit alleging 12 volkswagen workers critical of the dictatorship were tortured in a vw factory near sao paulo. In the philippines, the Supreme Court has ruled 9 to 5 that former dictator Ferdinand Marcos will receive a heros burial, despite a threedecade struggle to stop the dictators remains from being reburied in manilas heroes cemetery. This is neri colmenares, who survived the period of marcos rule under martial law from 1972 to 1981. It is really disheartening that today, history has changed. Istory has lost its meaning it is confusing and frustrating that after 70 decisions against marcos, the Supreme Court turned itself around. Motion ofe a reconsideration. Amy in rochester, new york, people have begun covering Susan B Anthony tombstone with i voted stickers to commemorate the 110th anniversary of her death in march 1906. 14 years before women won the right to vote. The New York Cemetery has extended its hours until 9 00 p. M. Tonight to give more people time to visit her gravesite. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. As the United States goes to the polls today, we begin with a look at some of the most important decisions voters will make. It is not president , governor, senate or congressional races, but more than 160 Ballot Initiatives are only valid in 35 states more than any election in the last decade. Marijuana legalization is on the ballot in nine states. Other initiatives include reforms around guns, Public Education, the minimum wage, the Death Penalty, taxes, samesex marriage, and one closely watched race is colorados amendment 69, a citizeninitiated constitutional amendment, which, if passed, would finance universal health care there. Former democratic president ial nominee Bernie Sanders spoke in support of the measure last month at a rally in boulder. Mr. Sanders colorado can senena shot that will be heard all over this country and all over the world. Becaususe if you can p pass cocoloradocare, ththen i guarane you stateses all o over this coy will be following in your footsteps. Amy in an editorial last month, the denver post Editorial Board suggested voters should reject the measure. This is denver post Editorial Page Editor chuck plunkett. We e are concerned about the tataxes that would be assessese the e new taxes that would be assessed. The best way to understand it, remember the number 10. Think of any kind of income you might possibly get, 10 will go to colorado o cares. Your payrollll tax, if youou are retired,d, your Social Securityy pensions, youour ira money tt kikind of income, once you get past 24,000 year, it is assessed 10 tax. Again, thatup study by the Colorado Health institute, which is an independent organization suggests thehey will dramatical, then the taxes will chase after them. Amy supporters of coloradocare say the system could operate in the black for at least nine years. More than any other issue, however, Ballot Initiatives that address income inequality and economic insecurity are at the heart of many of this years measures. Maine, colorado, arizona, washington all will vote on minimum wage increases. South dakota will vote on protections against predatory lenderers. And in the countrys most expensive Ballot Initiative fight, big pharma has poured nearly 100 million into californias proposition 61, which would prevent price gouging for prescription drugs. For morere, we arere joined by o guests. Justine sarver is executive director of the Ballot Initiative strategy center. Joining us from washington, d. C. , Sarah Anderson director of , the Global Economy project at the institute for policy studies. Her article for truthout is headlined seventeen ballot , initiatives to watch if you care about inequality. Welcome to democracy now lets go to justine and jackson, mississippi, first. Talk about Ballot Initiatives. There are more than 160 on the ballot across the country. Where do they come from, who is behind them . It is great to be with you again. Thank you for having me. So the thing i love about Ballot Initiatives is just underneath what has been a sometimes absurd dialogue at the president ial level, we have issues on the ballot that voters really care about. And this year, we are seeing more citizen initiatives then we have in 10 years. As you mentioned, Economic Security is a big deal this year. So the minimum wage measures, two of them also have earned sick leave in arizona and washington state. These are issues that people are concerned about every day. Unfortunately, some of the thees have been lost in debate this year, but voters get to go to the ballot and vote for a raise, vote for earned sick leave, and also in a number of states, has revenue increases that will protect and increase funding for Public Education and other critical services. Anderson, we began by talking about the initiative in , thatdo, coloradocares deals with single payer care. Can you talk about what this rattle is about and who is funding both sides . Ofi think this is an example many Ballot Initiatives this building on really Bernie Sanders efforts to put inequality at the center of the political debate. You have the one in colorado on Public Health care, but ernie has also been very involved in prop 61 in california about drug price gouging. He has been rallying folks there in the same way and has also been saying that if it could cast their, much the same way as the colorado one, it could really spark a national movement. In the colorado one, that is the most expensive Ballot Initiative fight in the country. Big pharma has poured in 109 million into blocking that. The latest holes show it is tied. Of thesehe dust both will be bellwethers and how people see these issues, as justin says, hit close to home. Amy your cigna must extensive one is in california for the Drug Companies have put in over 100 million. What about these issues a minimum wage . What justinen to mentioned about how there are four state Ballot Initiative that would ways raise the minimum wage, i would lift up the one in maine, which is very important because it would also phase out the sub minimum wage for restaurant workers and other tipped workers have not gotten a federal minimum wage increase in 25 years. It is an example